Thien Lanh General Clinic is built quite spaciously - Photo: D.V
“ Mini hospital” for the poor
Arriving at Thien Lanh General Clinic - a place that many people consider a "mini hospital" or "mini hospital" for the poor - we were very surprised to learn that the owner is Venerable Thich Lieu Bon, whose secular name is Nguyen Van Dung, residing in Hai Phu commune, Hai Lang district.
Chatting leisurely, Mr. Bon said that since his days studying for a master's degree at Hue University of Education (2011 - 2015), he had cherished the dream of building a clinic like the one he has now. According to him, the process of moving in and out of Hue during his time studying was also the time when National Highway 1 was expanded.
Because the road was in disarray, many tragic traffic accidents occurred, making emergency aid difficult. Many accidents had victims in critical condition, calling for emergency help took a long time, and passersby were afraid. Witnessing that, the teacher was very concerned and discussed with some friends to contribute to buying an ambulance with the wish to save people," Mr. Bon recalled.
With his connections after many years of volunteering, he called for socialization of 700 million VND, however this amount was not enough to buy an ambulance. After that, he changed direction to open a traditional medicine clinic attached to the hermitage where he was practicing.
In 2017, after discussion, Mr. Bon and 7 friends agreed to open a specialized clinic with full legal status operating in Phu Hung village and providing free medical examination and treatment for the poor. Initially, the clinic was located in a small house of a local resident, lacking in machinery and equipment.
However, the medical examination and treatment activities have helped many difficult circumstances and poor people, so after a while, the clinic has had a positive influence. More and more poor patients with common diseases who cannot afford to go to the hospital come to the clinic. The good news spread far and wide, many kind-hearted people everywhere have known and helped.
“After opening the clinic for a while, a benefactor in the West donated an ambulance. My wish to have a means to rescue patients has come true,” Mr. Bon happily said. At the same time, many other supports in the past have also helped Thien Lanh Clinic expand into a multidisciplinary clinic with full facilities and modern equipment, inaugurated in March 2025.
Venerable Thich Lieu Bon visits patients being treated at Thien Lanh General Clinic - Photo: D.V
Up to now, Thien Lanh General Clinic has 9 examination departments including: emergency, internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, physical therapy, oriental medicine, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, testing. This "mini hospital" has equipment, machinery and medical staff to perform relatively complete procedures: minor surgery, ultrasound, x-ray, biochemical tests, blood tests, urine tests, electrocardiogram... With a spacious building with clean rooms, the clinic currently receives and treats an average of 90 patients per day.
What is special is that, in addition to the 32-person team of doctors and nurses (most of whom are directors of several medical centers, heads and deputy heads of departments of hospitals and clinics with expertise and experience who have retired, and young nurses), every week the clinic also connects with a number of professors, doctors, and experts from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Hue Central Hospital to directly examine and screen patients for specialized diseases.
“Last week we organized an ear, nose and throat screening; we plan to organize an internal medicine examination soon. Inviting a team of professors, doctors and good doctors to examine the poor has also been a long-standing concern of the clinic. We hope that the poor and disadvantaged in society have the opportunity to access a team of specialized medical professionals, so that they do not have to go to Hue for private examinations, reducing many costs,” confided Mr. Bon.
“The average monthly operating cost of Thien Lanh General Clinic is currently about 200 million VND, from resources mobilized from many places. The fact that the clinic is increasingly trusted by patients is both a joy and a pressure. The biggest concern is that some types of medicine, testing chemicals, X-rays, dental treatments... are very expensive, the clinic has difficulty meeting the needs of patients. At the same time, the clinic's ambulance, after many years of continuous operation (from the time of the COVID-19 pandemic to regularly supporting the transportation of emergency cases, autopsies of traffic accidents...), is now severely damaged, not ensuring safe operation, and the repair cost is large. Some current tasks seem to be "overwhelming" for the scale of the clinic, needing the support and sharing of kind-hearted people near and far... to join hands to serve poor patients better and better". Venerable Thich Lieu Bon |
Free medical examination, treatment, accommodation for patients
Visiting each patient in each room, Venerable Thich Lieu Bon said: “Patients mainly come from within the province, most of them are in difficult circumstances, lonely elderly people who cannot afford to go to higher-level hospitals. With the mindset of saving the suffering and doing the best for patients, we accept all patients who come here. For difficult cases requiring long-term inpatient treatment, especially in the field of oriental medicine, we also create conditions for accommodation procedures and take care of food and accommodation, completely free of charge.”
In the clinic space, one can feel the friendly, cheerful atmosphere spreading from the doctors to the patients. Each person seems to find faith and joy when having the chance to meet here. Ms. Hoang Thi Phuong Thanh (75 years old), from Hai Lam commune, Hai Lang district, but has lived and worked as a nurse and midwife almost all her life in the South. She has suffered from varicose veins for many years.
In November 2024, after Ms. Thanh returned to her hometown to build a small house, her illness relapsed more severely. “My legs were numb and I couldn’t walk. I had an Ambright scan and a general examination and found out I had a herniated disc. After that, I went to all the hospitals in the province and then to Hue and Ho Chi Minh City, but there was still no improvement.
Through an acquaintance’s recommendation, I went to Thien Lanh Clinic. Here, after 5 days of treatment combining Eastern and Western medicine and swimming, I felt much more comfortable,” Ms. Thanh expressed. Ms. Thanh was given the opportunity to register for accommodation, arranged a room, and full meals during each treatment period (each period lasted about 15 days).
“Here, in addition to the dedication of the doctors and nurses, we are also provided with decent accommodation, fans, and clean toilets. Those who can afford it can donate and share, while those who are in difficulty can receive it completely free of charge,” Ms. Thanh added.
Specialist II Doctor Vo Thanh Tam shares about working at Thien Lanh General Clinic after retirement - Photo: D.V
From Trieu Hoa commune, Trieu Phong district, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tap (58 years old) has long-term arthritis and her husband took her to Thien Lanh Clinic for examination. “I was introduced by an acquaintance, so I decided to come here right after the harvest. I had gone to many hospitals for examination and treatment before, but it kept recurring. This arthritis made it difficult to do heavy work, while I was a farmer. After 5 days of treatment with oriental medicine here, I felt that my joints in my hands and feet were less swollen and painful, and I could move more flexibly,” Ms. Tap happily said. The trip home was only about 40 minutes, so Ms. Tap went home the same day to take the initiative in all her work.
Together to care for patients
At Thien Lanh General Clinic, it can be said that Master Thich Lieu Bon has gathered many highly qualified doctors and dedicated people to work together to care for patients. After 32 years of work, excellent doctor, specialist II Vo Thanh Tam, former Director of Trieu Phong District Medical Center, who recently retired, has started working at Thien Lanh General Clinic.
“I have known Dr. Bon for 4 years and was invited to collaborate with him. When I learned that he opened a clinic with such a humane meaning, I immediately accepted. I hope that with my expertise, experience, passion for the profession and my own dedication, I will continue to contribute to helping take care of people's health, especially the poor,” Dr. Tam confided.
This year, 72 years old with long white hair, Mr. Nguyen Doc is still agile in managing the clinic's facilities. Mr. Doc is a former teacher at Hai Thuong Secondary School who retired in 2011. A few years ago, he brought his wife to the clinic for treatment of bone and joint diseases. "Thanks to the dedicated treatment of the doctors, my wife recovered. After that, I asked to stay and support Mr. Bon with tasks outside of his professional field such as managing assets, facilities, arranging work...
I work here mainly with my heart and the wish to accompany the teacher, helping the patients in some way", Mr. Doc shared. Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Ba Thoai (37 years old) in Trieu Thuong commune, Trieu Phong district, also has the opportunity to be attached to the clinic, helping teacher Bon with many different tasks such as: driving an ambulance, looking after the boarding house, ordering and distributing meals to patients... mainly on a voluntary basis, sowing karma to do good deeds.
German Vietnamese
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/ngoi-nha-chung-cua-benh-nhan-ngheo-194165.htm
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